• 10Jul

  Improve Your Memory Now

  Alzheimer's, cognitive decline, mTBI, memory 1 Comment

  There is an adage by memory experts that if someone comes into their office worried about memory problems, there is probably nothing to worry about. However if their son or daughter brings them in, and the person denies that there is anything wrong, it is very likely that there is a problem.

  How can we help the aging brain?

  “My 83 year old mother is showing signs of forgetfulness” Nola asked me at a family celebration. “You’re the memory expert. Tell me the quick version, ‘Memory 101, what can we to do for her?”Nola is not alone in her concern. Most memory loss is noticed by family members. How can we help them?

  I heard a story on NPR about an experiment where rabbits were either fed in cages or at feeding stations in the woods, and these stations were regularly changed. So those rabbits in the wild had to use their brains to figure out where dinner was coming from. When they autopsied their brains, the wild rabbits had many more neurons that the caged bunnies. It was as if every day our brains produce new neurons wanting to get to work. So if we use these new neurons, we can compensate for age related memory loss.

  Novel and Stimulating Environments

  One of the best ways that we can create new neural networks is to create novel and stimulating environments. This can be as simple as doing a mental games or as elaborate as going on a trip to China. How we do this is limited only by our imagination and our funds, which is why Dr. Paul Nussbaum suggests that having money is a good defense against memory decline. (http://www.paulnussbaum.com/ )

  Dr Gary Small has some interesting insights into mental games.

  http://www.aging.ucla.edu/memorybible.html. He suggests that we need to include both left brained functions and right brained functions. Left brained functions would include logical analysis, information sequencing, language, mathematics and symbol recognition. This would include crossword puzzles, scrabble, sudoku, anagrams and word scrambles Ordinary activities like making lists of pros and cons or planning out your vacation are also helpful.

  Right brained functions involve spatial tasks, musical and artistic abilities, face recognition, depth perception, emotional perception and a sense of humor. This would include taking that water color class, learning to play the piano, visual brain teasers or studying yoga. Planning different routes to get to your usual destinations are also great. Instead of just taking mom to a new medical appointment, give her the Google map and let her give directions. (Of course, the success of this experiment depends both on mom’s degree of memory loss and your sense of direction.)

  Exercise, Exercise, Exercise

  The brain is very greedy, and it gobbles up most of the oxygen that we take in. This is why when the body is deprived of oxygen, one of the first symptoms is mental impairment.

  One of the best ways that we can get more oxygen to the brain is through physical exercise, which is why it is so important to stay active to the extent that we can. (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17662247/site/newsweek/) This doesn’t mean that you have to climb Mt. Everest any time soon, although if you did you would have the additional benefit of being in a new and novel environment. A thirty minute brisk walk would do it. It even helps to park farther away from Nordstrom’s at the mall. Which gets into another way to keep your brain young – have fun!

  Computer Based Brain Training Exercises

  I could go on and on about the other thing that you can do to decrease memory decline – eating a healthy diet, minimizing alcohol (although a glass of red wine can be good), no smoking, stress reduction, treating depression, using the new medications that are coming out to slow cognitive decline – but this is memory 101, not a doctoral thesis. But I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the computer based brain training exercises that we are doing at Sparks of Genius (www.SparksofGenius.com ). Using games that are specifically designed to improve different areas of mental functioning, our clients have already been able to slow down, stop and reverse mental decline, and we have just started to work with people long distance.

  So Nola, that’s Memory 101. We can empower ourselves and our loved ones to decrease age related mental decline and dementia.

  By Ninah Kessler, LCSW
  Life Coach

• 29Jun

  Memory Lost to Alzheimer’s Can Be Recovered

  Alzheimer's, cognitive decline, mTBI, memory No Comments

  Think those memories destroyed by Alzheimer’s have been shattered, damaged and ruined? Think again. New research at M.I.T. has found that memories destroyed by Alzheimer’s disease and other kinds of dementia are still there, but cannot be accessed because of neural degeneration.

  “The research raises the prospect that treatments for Alzheimer’s and similar conditions might eventually not only stop patients’ mental decline, but reverse damage that has already taken place.”

  -From Times Online

  The research of Li-Huei Tsai indicates that damage to the brain may be interfering with Alzheimer’s patients’ ability to retrieve and use their memories.

  Dr Tsai said. “This recovery of long-term memory was really the most remarkable finding. It suggests that memories are not really erased in such disorders as Alzheimer’s, but that they are rendered inaccessible and can be recovered.”

  Cognitive restructuring can enhance gains brought by new medications as well as natural remedies.

  The scientists discovered that enriching the environment of the mice with treadmills for exercise and colorful toys of many different textures significantly improved learning and memory, and appeared to build new connections between nerve cells in the brain.

  This research supports a basic premise of Sparks of Genius, where students young and old “work out” and use the power of brain training. We believe that cognitive restructuring can enhance gains brought by new medications as well as natural remedies.

  Brain training leads to increased confidence, new abilities, and lays in mental strategies to neutralize the fear of decline. The 5-4-9 formula is customized for each student. http://sparksofgenius.com/sparks.html. You’re never too old to learn.
  As we build the Sparks of Genius Community, more neuroscientists and neuropsychologists are echoing our theme of brain fitness, defying labels, and moving beyond limitations set by others.

  Like Dr. Merzenich, who asks “Why not fix it before it breaks?” and Dr. Paul Nussbaum (download his pdf here) we believe that intensive brain training holds the promise of actually preventing changes that lead to the onset of Alzheimer’s and other dementias.

  Of course, there is more to it than mental stimulation, such as exercising regularly, maintaining a sense of purpose, increasing spirituality, etc.  Check out Dr. Nussbaum’s 10 Tips here.

  Incidentally, the M.I.T. scientists also got positive results giving mice a drug known as an HDAC inhibitor, which promotes nerve cell growth.

  After receiving the environmental enrichment or the drug therapy, the M.I.T. mice recovered their lost memories. What would happen if they received both?

  I agree with Dr. Michael Merzenich that an ideal drug would be a medication (or natural remedy) which would not only arrest cognitive decline but actually enable brain plasticity-driven rejuvenation.

  Either way, many adults who “work out” at the Sparks of Genius Electronic Playground and at home can decrease, stop, or even reverse cognitive decline as they train their brain for daily successes.

  – Dr. Rohn Kessler, Ed. D.

• 22Jun

  How to Fight Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease

  Alzheimer's, cognitive decline, mTBI, memory No Comments

  What’s going to be the disease of my generation? I’m 64 years old, and many say it’s Alzheimer’s Disease. Scientists today are beginning to give mice the disease and then take it away. Believe it or not.

  A recent New York Times article says that most biotechnology companies, large and small, are developing Alzheimer’s drugs. In the rat race to find a “cure,” these companies are investing billions of dollars to help more than five million Americans with the disease. The Times article notes this industry is “…often criticized as making pricey “me too” drugs that involve minor tweaks to competitors’ products.

  Computerized cognitive training is very promising for fighting off Dementia.

  Is there anything else in the works that can help adults with mild or moderate cognitive impairment that lead to dementia? Science shows computerized cognitive training is very promising.

  Starting early with brain training before the disease progresses may delay onset and increase cognition Dr. Paul Nussbaum, believes that the physiological and psychological aspects of learning in childhood may act as a vaccine against Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases of the brain. Link is: http://www.paulnussbaum.com/thhc.pdf

  This is based on 1) the discovery of neuroplasticity (the brain is dynamic and constantly or-organizing itself) and 2) the fact that novel, rich, complex learning environments promote healthy changes in the physical structure of the brain.
  At Sparks of Genius (www.sparksofgenius.com) adults with labels like “mild cognitive impairment” train their brain for daily successes on home computers and in our office.

  Alzheimer’s strikes one out of every 5 people between ages 75 and 84.

  We believe that cognitive restructuring can enhance gains bought by new medications as well as natural remedies. Brain training leads to increased confidence, ability and lays in mental strategies to neutralize the fear of decline.

  Is Alzheimer’s generation going to be the disease of my generation? Perhaps. Alzheimer’s strikes one out of every 5 people between ages 75 and 84. Five million is projected to be ten or fifteen million in another 40 years.

  Where is “the cure” for Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases of the brain? I do not believe any “cure” will come from drugs alone; the problem is too multidimensional.

  A holistic approach will work best, including exercise, mentally stimulating activities and computerized brain training. For more tips, go to (link is) http://www.paulnussbaum.com/tentips.html

  To check out whether you or someone you love can benefit from cognitive restructuring and receive your FREE 39 point Learning Assessment. http://sparksofgenius.com/screens.html

  Receive personal feedback from a Sparks of Genius professional today.

• 20Jun

  How to Make Tough Choices

  ADHD, ADD, aspergers, cognitive decline, learning disability, mTBI, memory, parenting, social skills No Comments

  One simple way we can sort out what choice is best is to create a plus and minus column.

  Put in the advantages and disadvantages of your proposed choice. Number each choice on an “important to me” scale of one to ten. Add up both columns or get a friend to help.

  Many genius minds got their inspiration after napping or a good night’s sleep.

  Still undecided? Separate your thoughts into three sections I feel this way, I think this about this and I sense or remember this could happen. The first method gives you the “what” of the story while the second method gives you the “why.”
  Now you need the “when.” This you can get by asking your self “Why is this a good time for this choice?” What can I gain by waiting, deciding immediately or not choosing at all”? For the where of this story consider if this is the best place or would a change of location make a difference. Also ask your self is there any knowledge missing I need to make this choice.

  Sleep on your decisions and listen to the voice on the inside. Often you will sense a green light, a red light or a yellow proceed with caution.

  Our minds have amassed countless categories and can assess in a moment of time what you could take months to think about actively. Many genius minds got their inspiration after napping or a good night’s sleep. It can work for you too!

  Mathematicians have determined we can make informed choices by following what are called axioms. They use numbers to explain things but we will use life examples to share these ideas.

  There are 5 principles or axioms for making decisions.

  1. Comparability
  2. Transitivity
  3. Dominance
  4. Independence
  5. Invariance

  The first principle is called “comparability.” For this you need to know you prefer apples to bananas or banana to apples or that you dislike or like both bananas and apples.

  Axiom two is called “transitivity,” which means if you prefer apples to bananas and bananas to carrots you must prefer apples to carrots.

  “Dominance” is axiom three. Here is how it works, a choice is dominant and must be preferred if when it is compared to an alternate choice it is best in at least one respect and better in all other respects. Dominated or lesser choices are not to be preferred.

  Axiom four is called “independence.” This says “no outside data should affect your choice.”

  The last axiom, number five, is “invariance.” Different scenery involving the same choice scenario should not affect the choice. Another way of saying this is your choice preference should remain independent of how it is described.

  When any of these axioms are not met there are several possibilities. The choice was not yours to make. In this case move on. You can not take responsibility for other peoples’ choices.

  Zig Ziglar says ‘Life is like the movies …You produce your own show!”

  Happy people live nineteen percent longer. Make a good investment. You can invest in worry or you can invest in you.

  There was not enough information available to make an informed choice or you were not given the power to make the choice. Life happens and life cycles, what goes around comes around. Think out a strategy for next time or watch for something effective another individual is using to negotiate the issue.

  You are a champion. Experience and coaching will help you win. Experts practice and watch for doors of opportunity. Novices give up because they see an event as defining them.

  Failure is an event and not an identity.

  Any novice can become an expert. Failure is an event and not an identity. Failure looks for servants, refuse to serve it!

  Your choice was clouded by a cultural mindset or political manipulation and does not represent you.

  For this scenario you will feel dissatisfied even when the choice is beneficial to you because you can not own it without changing your identity.

  • Think about how you can change your world one step at a time.
  • The way you see yourself is the way others will treat you.
  • Change your words and determine your destiny.
  • Your words will build you or destructure (destroy) you.
  • Go back to the chapter that suggests you decide what you would do if only you could. Find a way to take one step towards your destiny and do it!

  –Dr. Amy Price

• 19Jun

  Broke brain? Here’s the work-around

  cognitive decline, learning disability, mTBI, memory No Comments

  Research has shown that we can increase our ability to solve problems. Expand your way of looking at the problem by decreasing the restrictions so you can see it a new way.

  Here is how.

  Look from a different angle such as how would you see someone else dealing with the issue. Change the structure of your thinking.

  For example suppose you were to consider how a man can marry ten women in one month? If you see him as a man this is a challenge but if you see him as a minister, rabbi. priest or imam who performed marriage ceremonies it all makes sense!

  Life is like this too. Sometimes a solution is right there on the inside when you see things a different way.

  The flexible can be bent but are difficult to break. We can see this by comparing a young branch to an old twig. Flexibility can be learned and practiced. Just do it!

  Pay attention to error feedback—ours and other folks. It is OK to ask “How did I get this to work for me? and “What gave me the clue to solve the issue?”

  For the memory or spatially impaired this means writing down what did not work and doing it another way next time. When you hit the jackpot and figure it out write down what worked. If you hate writing or typing, say it into any recording device.

  –Dr. Amy Price

• 11Jun

  Video Games as Alternative Therapy

  ADHD, ADD, Sparks of Genius, aspergers, cognitive decline, learning disability, mTBI, memory, parenting 2 Comments

  A new video game might prove to be a very productive use of time for young cancer patients: It helps kids fight their diseases figuratively and literally.The game, called “Re-mission,” is a 20-level journey through the bodies of fictional patients suffering from different types of cancer, and of course, it can be played by adults and healthy folks as well. But the primary idea is to give patients a sense of control over their disease.

  Click here for article.

  Children and adults around the world have embraced video games, with both positive and negative results. Here’s another shot in the arm for the folks who see video games as more than just an excuse to stay inside on a sunny day. Sparks of Genius uses video games as alternative therapy for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD or ADHD), Asperger’s Syndrome, Memory training, to fight off Cognitive Decline, and build any number of Cognitive Skills including executive function.

  Click here to check out their new Summer Brain Training Boot Camp!

  ---

  This article reprinted with permission from Rotten Apples: News from the front lines of America’s War on Education.

• 09Jun

  4 out of 5 People Suffer Brain Injuries

  cognitive decline, mTBI, stress No Comments

  Does it seem like 80% of the people you work with are touched in the head? Eighty percent of people will sustain a brain injury and not get adequate treatment. Think you’re safe just because you don’t skateboard or Rollerblade?

  Wrong. Brain injury is an enemy that infiltrates all social classes and cultures.

  Most victims will suffer financial, emotional and physical limitations for the rest of their lives. Why is this silent epidemic…well, silent? Unless victims sustain a coma or cannot walk and talk, then the concept of brain injury is casually dismissed by society and the courts.

  It is no coincidence that many cases of teenage rebellion coincide with an earlier bump on the head.

  The effects of brain injury may not surface in entirety until many months after the injury. Most of us think that unless someone needs stitches, they haven’t sustained a “serious” injury. The scary truth is that a head injury can occur faster than it takes to form a thought or even say a word. Adults are prone to shaken baby syndrome too. There is help and there are signs.

  Adults are prone to shaken baby syndrome too.

  Try the complimentary 39 Point Learning Assessment to see if you can be set free from brain fog and live in the land of clarity! CDC has published a very helpful guide about what to do if you or a loved one has experienced a head injury.

  http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/tbi/tbibook.pdf

  Dr Amy Price

  Dr Amy Price is a Patient Volunteer & Executive Director
  at the Spinal Injury Foundation
  http://www.spinalinjuryfoundation.org

• 07Jun

  Teach Your Old Brain New Tricks

  cognitive decline, mTBI, memory No Comments

  “The brains of adult mammals are slowly, constantly churning out new brain cells,” it said recently in LiveScience. 

  Click here for the full article.

  That’s right, adult brain cells can definitely keep growing and actually change their structures in response to new experiences.

  The growth is much smaller than what goes on during the critical period of development, but the fact that it goes on at all is earth-shattering, “said a neuroscientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

  New research shows these new adult brain cells may actually help old cells adapt to new experiences and be used to rejuvenate our aging brains.

  “Young neurons are generated in two areas of the brain: the hippocampus and the olfactory bulb. The hippocampus, in particular, appears almost like a fountain of youth. The new cells produced in the area, said neuroscientist Hongjun Song, make the whole system younger.”

  

  New neurons are labeled to show green fluorescence in the adult mouse brain.
  Credit: Kurt Sailor, Guo-li Ming and Hongjun Song
  
  

  Most of us know how fast children learn — much faster than we do (I’m 64). Their brain plasticity is phenomenal. But we adults can continue to adapt to new experiences even though our brains are more hardwired than our children’s brains.

  At Sparks of Genius we see this all the time in children as young as six and adults in their eighties. Both young ­and old are capable of new learning.

  Dr. Paul Nussbaum, a clinical neuropsychologist, writes how important new learning is for adults, especially the elderly.   Not any kind of learning but novel, rich and complex learning.

  In other words, engage your mind in mentally stimulating activities!

  Adult and elderly clients at Sparks of Gemius use a special combination of computer programs to train their brain for more successes in life. They can improve cognitive skills like memory, attention, listening and thinking. The can even increase the central processing speed of their brains.

  The Sparks of Genius message to adults and seniors is: “Defy labels. Move beyond limitations decided by others. You can do more than you ever thought you could.”

   Dr. Rohn Kessler

• 06Jun

  Music and Memory and…something else, I forget

  cognitive decline, mTBI, memory, music No Comments

  Here is a great music video about the wonders of aging and fading memories.  Take three minutes to watch it: the laughs are good for you, even when they are at your own expense.

  Note to young people: you won’t get it.

• 25May

  Brain Training Boot-Camp

  ADHD, ADD, art, aspergers, cognitive decline, learning disability, mTBI, memory, parenting, school, social skills No Comments

  Something happens to kids across America every summer, and you can practically hear the giant SLURPing sound as half of what they learned in school this year washes down the drain. The Brain Drain.

  All too often, Summer Camp activities are mind-numbing instead of mind-expanding.

  Like anything else in life, there are good and bad sides to the summer vacation and the camp experiences that often accompany it. Summer Camps can be great places where children can exercise their bodies and the seven intelligences ignored by traditional schools: musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalist, kinesthetic, spiritual and spatial.

  All too often, however, the activities are mind-numbing instead of mind-expanding. Kids need challenging mental workouts during the summer to keep their brains in shape. Here are some effective activities, and some not-so-effective activities that are great for summer fun.

  Here are some tips to help you maintain Brain Fitness for your kids over the summer.

  Boca Sparks of Genius is offering a Brain Training Boot Camp this year. It’s an intensive attention, focus, brain-enhancing boot camp; two hours per day for 1-5 weeks. Students use brain training video games, played with our mind-reading helmet by thought power alone. Its great for anyone who wants to acheive peak performance in school or sports and is especially helpful for children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD/ADD) or a Learning Disability (LD). Click here for the PDF flyer.

  Boca Sparks of Genius is offering a Brain Training Boot Camp this year.

  Not everyone can make it, and that’s fine. Here are some tips to help you maintain Brain Fitness for your kids over the summer. It isn’t easy. You’re going to have to fight off Shrek, Pirates of the Carribean, Spiderman, Harry Potter (the movie, not the book) and every international company aiming their advertising squarely at your kid’s eyeballs.

  First, the bad.

  Video Games – these have a high stimulus payoff but minimal cognitive investment. Most games require manipulation of a handful of controls, which is nowhere near as challenging as organizing ideas for an essay or planning a multi-step science project.

  Television and Movies – again, high stimulus payoff but this time zero cognitive investment. Even when the content is educational, the activity is passive. The child may absorb some facts but it is the equivalent of laying down mentally: it won’t keep their brain in shape and in fact can lead to brainpower atrophy!

  If a child reads with automaticity, then she needs more challenging material to work out her mental muscles.

  Pulp Reading – if your child is reading challenged, then by all means encourage any kind of reading. However, if your child is reading on grade level, then pulp media like comic books, manga and sub-literary material do more harm than good! If a child reads with automaticity, then she needs more challenging material to work out her mental muscles. If your child is truly, madly, deeply in love with a particular piece, then have her write a thoughtful essay about the material.

  Texting and Instant Messaging – just imagine that your child is getting reward pellets instead of text messages and you’ll see why this activity is a stinker. Not only does it not expand the brain, it trains l33t-sp3@k..that wild combination of LOLs and AFKs that make texting work. Is it any wunder that our grammar stinx?

  Fooling around with crafts, or making lame projects, does not exercise the brain.

  Arts & Cra*s – Just because you give a kid some paint does not mean she will learn or do much of anything. Fooling around with crafts, or making lame projects, does not exercise the brain. The kids need to be challenged: paint or sketch with realism, brainstorm and create an image of what a 5th dimension might look like, play with perspective. Slapping paint on paper can be just as brain-draining as crafting in World of Warcraft or Dark Age of Camelot (Note for old people: that means very boring).

  Nature Walk of Doom – Yes, kids need unstructured play time and not everything needs to be educational or mentally stimulating. BUT, Nature Walks and Nature Trails and NatureH ikes that are part of Summer Camps are supposed to be enlightening. They are certainly wonderful opportunities. All too often, however, the kids are strung along by a bored volunteer or assistant who couldn’t tell the difference between a Blue Heron and an Egret if they bit him on the butt. The kids need a guide, even if just a book, who can teach them how to identify flora and fauna and show them how each species is unique and interesting. Then they need to use those facts in discussions or papers or projects or presentations. Make competitions, play Nature Bingo, but don’t just lead them around in a circle.

  Kids are strung along on Nature Walks by a bored volunteer who couldn’t tell the difference between a Blue Heron and an Egret if they bit him on the butt.

  Social Science – Summer can help kids break out of their social bonds. They can interact with kids outside of their normal cliques. Kids who are academically challenged may find it easier to make friends in an evironment where they are not being weighed, measured and found wanting. Or they can sit in isolation and never get anywhere. Kids without friends are not happy, not matter what they tell you. They don’t know what they’re missing! Making friends, sharing, telling secrets, having fights and making up, setting boundaries–these are vital life skills, and they take mental effort to build. How does your kid’s summer experience help build them?

  How does your kid’s summer experience help build social skills and friendships?

  MP3 Doom! – Curse the iPod! As if it weren’t easy enough to avoid people, now it is possible for kids to grow up without having to interact with just about anyone. This is bad, people! We socialize when we are stuck waiting in line and in class and in the lunchroom and on the playground–but not if we can just slap on our headphones and drown out the world with music. What kind of music? The simplistic kind with high stimulus payoff and little to no cognitive investment.

  We socialize when we are stuck waiting in line and in class and in the lunchroom and on the playground–but not if we can just slap on our headphones and drown out the world with music.

  Tomorrow: The Good!

  Be well,

  Allen Dobkin

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